SanDisk are one of the most popular and reliable brands of memory so it makes perfect sense for Nintendo to team up with them to sell officially licensed memory cards to expand the internal memory of the Switch.

While we're sure they won't end up being as cheap as some of the options in our Nintendo Switch Micro SD buyers guide, we guess that some anxious parents will be reassured by this packaging when picking up some memory to go with little Jimmy's new Switch.

The microSDXC cards will be available in capacities of 64GB and 128 GB, and will feature the Nintendo Switch and SanDisk logos. As shown above Link gets the 64 GB card while Mario gets the mighty 128 GB capacity. The fiend!

Tom Prata, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives was quite pleased about the deal:

Western Digital is a global leader in memory storage, and its SanDisk brand microSD cards are trusted by consumers around the world. These new Nintendo-licensed memory cards provide significant additional storage for digital content, and in many retail locations they will be conveniently displayed alongside Nintendo Switch games and accessories.

Sven Rathjen, Vice President of Product Marketing, Client Solutions, Western Digital was equally as enthusiastic:

As more and more amazing games and related content become available for download on Nintendo Switch, our licensed memory cards allow users to quickly and easily expand their storage. Nintendo Switch has generated tremendous momentum, and we are thrilled to partner with Nintendo to offer consumers a trusted card for their system.

The Nintendo-licensed 64 GB and 128 GB microSDXC SanDisk memory cards will be available at select retail outlets starting in October 2017. Do you plan to pick one up?

Darren is Nintendo Life’s Batman: fearless in the face of danger, he loves gadgets and talking in a really, really deep voice. As Operations Director he stays mostly behind the scenes in a room he insists on calling “The Batcave”.

Depends on price. I like Sandisk due to experience on their reliability in digital SLR cameras in multiple environments (equalled by Lexar) but if it costs more just for the Nintendo mark then I'll get standard versions.

Now if only SD Cards did something on Switch. All it does is slightly increase the amount of screenshots you can save. They do not allow you to store game save data on them, which is what I would prefer. Nope, game save data is stuck on the Switch internal 32GB memory. Doesn't even save to physical game cards. So if the Switch gets busted and becomes inoperable, bye bye save data and all that progress you put in to Breath of the Wild & other games.

Also, people aren't buying the visual of Mario/Link on the box, they're paying for the perception of a guaranteed quality. It's the same old 80s Nintendo Seal Of Quality. Doesn't mean these cards are actually better than other SanDisk ones, just that Nintendo are willing to give these ones their stamp of authority, and some people are willing to pay a little more for that reassurance.

@DarthFoxMcCloud "if only SD Cards did something on Switch.All it does is slightly increase the amount of screenshots you can save."

I don't understand your comment.SD cards store all your games and without them,going all digital like I have done would be impossible.Yes the save files are only saved to the system which isn't ideal but I'm sure an alternative solution is on the way for that.

@Kimyonaakuma Just google it. The Switch does not save game data to SD Cards. You're forced to have them all save to your internal memory. So if you plan on going all digital with the Switch, good luck with that. And if your Switch ever dies, you have to send it in to Nintendo to potentially have your save data transferred to a new Switch. But there's Reddit users who've done this and had their save data lost. Nintendo needs to allow either save data stored on SD Cards or announce a cloud based storage option. They've been ridiculously silent on this issue.

The micro SD market is an ambiguous one for most consumers as you'll notice in Amazon reviews. This is literally just packaging saying "compatible and efficient with your Switch" and hey, that's fine. It's basically a partnership in store placement location and consumer clarity signified with a splash of art.

@OorWullie You just explained my comment. SAVE DATA IS NOT ALLOWED ON THE SD CARD. Don't know how much clearer I can be on that. Your Switch dies, your save data is lost. Nintendo might be able to get it back for you if you send in your defective unit. But if you ever traded in a Switch at EB Games/Gamestop for a new one, your save data is LOST because it's stored on your Switch internally. NOT on the SD Card. So it's not like the 3DS or Wii U where you could store your save data on an external source. There's also Reddit users who've had to send their Switch in for replacement only to find Nintendo couldn't migrate the save data over to the new Switch. This is ridiculous. Nintendo had the ability to save game data on external devices for the Wii U and 3DS. Not having the ability on the Switch at launch was ridiculous. And they've been far too silent on this issue. It wouldn't take much, just a simple firmware update to activate this feature. Or tell us that cloud based storage is incoming with their paid online service. But they've been completely silent which is unacceptable.

@DarthFoxMcCloud I don't need to google it, I know where the switch stores it's save files. The issue with your original comment is that you don't acknowledge that the SD card has a use other than storing screenshots and that use (suprisingly ) is storing games! How is being able to have your console library with you without having to carry a ton of cartidges not count as "something".And yes there's the save data issue that you seem to be fixated on, but I feel that you're blowing the issue out of proportion. Just because you read some people's experiences on reddit does not make it a major issue. That's only a vocal minority and the majority of people will not encounter any issues whatsoever. Besides SD cards are also susceptible to corruption and I've had a few cartridges die over the years despite looking after them. There's always a chance that things will go wrong but for most of the time nothing terrible happens...

It's good they have an official option for parents and and grandparents who don't have a clue what cards to buy for the Switch as gifts or for casual players who aren't up on the latest tech. Most of us more hardcore gamers already have or will seek out cheaper alternatives though.

The comment section is more interesting than the article. Pretty entertaining reading enthusiasts that are so out of touch with norms that they can't comprehend how this is actually better for them. People trade money for convenience all the time. In fact, the design of the Switch counts on this behavior.

Hardly "themed", more just slapped on the box. The card itself is just a Switch logo which I'll admit I wouldn't mind on my card, but I'm not exactly eager to swap out my super-affordable 200gb Sandisk card for a 128gb with a logo.

For everyone reading this site this product isn't for you. Nintendo knows everyone here "googles" Checks the "internets" and the wiifis for better deals. This is for Parents in the Nintendo section to see official Nintendo memory cards that are guaranteed to work so they don't have to see 1000 different options / sizes ect on google, it's a mess!! Less is more and this is a great product but not for you.

This article is 100% marketing. Shameless. No I will not pay an exorbitant price for a Nintendo switch SanDisk micro sd card. I get all of my memory and PC components from a wholesaler with a retail front for literally half the price of retail.

I find it quite funny that over the years, a lot of folks have argued (myself included) that Nintendo should sell branded storage devices and now folks are moping

But in all seriousness, i would have preferred a little "more".A pre-installed game might be a little too much, but at least something special. A special color scheme, a printed card reader etc. Those are just regular cards for a DX price to get the PR costs back.

Why does everyone keep assuming they're going to cost more .It's funny to watch everyone get mad about their own assumptions .The branding is probably to help the less tech savvy folks know their buying the proper thing for their Switch.

@Hughesy Just think about someone who doesn't follow technology closely or read about games but wants to play Switch and ran out of memory. Saving money is far less important than "hey, this is what I need" and getting on with their day.

If you tell a "norm" that they can save money with this other one over here, they still might go with the licensed one, because — they don't know if you are right, and they don't care. What's a couple bucks to be sure that it works when they get home? The only thing worse for them would be to sit around comparing prices after researching all the details to make sure they don't get the wrong item. It's just a complete waste of time and energy when a few dollars will do the work — and instantly, thank you Mario.

This is how convenience works. You trade money for it all the time in areas where you aren't an expert (maybe you get your vehicle oil changed instead of saving money and doing it yourself), but when you are in your enthusiast realm, of course, you care and learn about the details and shop around because it's a passion/drug/obsession and it's worth it for you to spend extra time sucking the marrow out of it.